Men of the Shenandoah Valley… at the Crater and Ft. Fisher!?

Men of the Shenandoah Valley earned a number of battle honors over the course of the Civil War… from Manassas to the Mule Shoe… Falling Waters to Appomattox… but… sadly, the list is much shorter than it should be… and for what purpose?

Yes… men of the Valley were present in the ranks of the 1st, 4th and 22nd USCT, on June 15, 1864, as Confederate Batteries 8 and 9, were overrun at Petersburg.

A month and a half later, men of the Valley were present at the Crater…

Though I’ll just name a couple for the moment… among the men of the Valley present that day were 26-year-old Eugene McRice (born in Rockingham County) and 20-year-old John P. Swain (born in Frederick County). McRice served as a fifer with Co. H, 27th USCT, and received a severe gunshot wound to the right arm and leg that day. The fracture of the right tibia was such that it justified a medical discharge the following summer.

Medical slip for McRice

Swain, on the other hand, appears to have come out of the fight unscathed… at least physically… and was promoted corporal in Co. G, within three days of the fight… no doubt to fill a void left in the wake of the action.

Just under six months later, men of the Valley were present off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina… in fact, some of the same men who were present at the Crater.

USCT units involved in attack on Fort Fisher, January 13-15, 1865

Though you can’t tell it by looking at the units, or commanders, men of the Valley were present in over half the USCT units present for the second attack on Fort Fisher.

Following the overrun of the main works of the fort, the Union commander sent in Col. Joseph C. Abbot’s Brigade, accompanied by the 27th USCT, toward Battery Buchanan…

Though now filled with coastal undergrowth, this was the mass of land over which the 27th advanced, with the 7th New Hampshire and 6th Connecticut on their left.

View from atop the remains of Battery Buchanan, looking to the left, toward the modern ferry, which is in the general vicinity in which the Civil War era wharf was located, and near where the 27th USCT formed prior to the official surrender of Fort Fisher.

The Battery Buchanan marker

So, when thinking of men of the Shenandoah Valley in the Civil War, especially during the Sesquicentennial… begin to think on a grander scale, and beyond those men and battles usually associated with Stonewall and the Army of Northern Virginia. The history of our people is larger and more dynamic than often realized.

Have you looked into the (many) African American’s who moved north and west during the Quaker migrations or are you only working with those who were living in the valley at the time of the war? I’ve identified a number of USCT’s who hailed from the valley, moved (or escaped) north with the Quakers to eastern Ohio and enlisted there in various regiments.

Both, actually. What I’m finding, in the USCT, are those who moved north before the war, and served in such units as the 1st, 22nd, and 27th USCT (to name a few), as well as those who, apparently, became liberated in the course of the war, and enlisted in units formed in the deeper South, such as in the case of the 82nd USCT.

Hello, I am wondering what my best avenue would be to take in order to further investigate on exactly who the “captain” was which led my great-great uncles (Emanuel Alger,William Hardin Alger & Martin Van Buren Alger)….. all pvts. in Co. “D” Under Ashby’s 7th Calvary. I think I have it narrowed down to either Captain Samual B.Coyner or Captain Macon Jordan. This information would assist me in learning exactly what battles they may have been present in during the Cival War. Any idea’s would be greatly appreciated concerning this matter. Enjoyed your blog on men of The Shenandoah Valley! Thanks! Sincerley, Rock E. Alger Oroville, California

Jordan was captain through 1862 (he proved a bit irresponsible, especially in the wake of an effort to burn the bridges in Page County, in April 1862). After him, a former classmate, Coyner, was captain of the Massanutten Rangers… until 1863, after he was mortally wounded. After that, it was George W. Summers. You can read more about him (and a little about the others as well) in my book, Tragedy in the Shenandoah.